


Sealed With a Kiss

by hazel333



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Actor Keith (Voltron), Actor Lance (Voltron), Actor Shiro (Voltron), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist Keith (Voltron), Awkward Keith (Voltron), Fluff, Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Sheith Secret Santa 2018, Theater AU, not described though, slight mentions of injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 10:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17221976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazel333/pseuds/hazel333
Summary: "By the way, Lance mentioned that you used to act. Are you going to audition for Sleeping Beauty?”“Yeah,” Keith responded automatically, his mind occupied by the fact that Shiro had taken time out of his day to come say hi to him. And then he realized what he just agreed to and curse firmly and explicitly in his mind.Shiro beamed at him. “Great! I’ll see you at auditions, then!”





	Sealed With a Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Grace as a part of the 2018 Sheith Secret Santa exchange. She wanted a Theater AU where Keith takes Lance's place after an injury and has to act alongside Shiro. I hope you like it! 
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! XD

               “Absolutely not.”

               “Come on! It’ll be fun!”

               “No.”

               “But-”

               “Lance,” Hunk interrupted, “Leave Keith alone. He doesn’t have to do it if he doesn’t want to.”

               Lance pouted, sending his best friend a glare. “I thought you were supposed to be on my side!” he whined.

               Without looking up from her notebook, Pidge stated, “You’re whining became too unbearable.”

               Lance whipped around to face her. “I was _not_ whin-”

               “Where’d Keith go?” Hunk blurted.

               The trio looked around the cafeteria, but the raven-haired boy was gone.

* * *

               Keith flopped down in his usual seat in the library with a sigh of relief. As much as he loved his friends, there were moments where he just needed some time to himself. He especially needed that alone time when Lance was being extra annoying, like today.

               Every year, the students in the drama department of the Arts College hosted a play with a cast of non-drama majors, excluding the two lead roles. Keith had volunteered to help with the set, since he was an art major, and it was the only way to get Lance to leave him alone. However, Keith’s peace hadn’t lasted long. Pidge had outed him as an actor in high school. Now, Lance insisted that Keith try out for at least minor role, and Keith was ready throw his friend out the window _if he mentioned it one more time-_

               He slammed his notebook down and angrily flipped through the pages. He picked up where he had left off on a sketch, the outline for a project in one of his classes. Someone walked up and stood before him. Keith ignored the presence, but the person cleared their throat to get his attention. “ _What?_ ” he snapped.

               “Oh, uh, sorry for interrupting you…I just wanted to say hi?”

               Keith looked up, and his heart skipped a beat at the handsome face before him. “Sh-Shiro? Oh, crap, I’m so sorry!” He fumbled with his paper, trying not to knock his pencils off of the table. “I, uh, didn’t realize it was you…” he added lamely. Shiro was a drama major, like Lance. Unlike Lance, however, Shiro could do no wrong, and he had been the object of Keith’s ridiculously large crush for over a year.

Shiro smiled at him, and Keith subconsciously swore that he would kill for that smile. “It’s alright. Hard day?”

Keith groaned. “ _Lance…_ ” was all he said.

Shiro laughed softly. “I understand then.”

Keith smiled at him, struck dumb by the older man’s beautiful laugh. When he realized that he had been staring for an awkwardly long time and that Shiro was looking at him with a confused smile, Keith shook his head to clear it. “Uh, would you like to…?” He trailed off, motioning at the seat beside him.

Shiro shook his head. “I would love to, but I have a class soon. I saw you while I was walking by and wanted to say hi. By the way, Lance mentioned that you used to act. Are you going to audition for _Sleeping Beauty_?”

“Yeah,” Keith responded automatically, his mind occupied by the fact that Shiro had taken time out of his day to come say hi to him. And then he realized what he just agreed to and curse firmly and explicitly in his mind.

Shiro beamed at him. “Great! I’ll see you at auditions, then!”

Keith ~~stared at Shiro’s butt~~ watched as Shiro walked away. He sighed.

* * *

               And that was how he ended up auditioning for the role of the prince.

               “Dude, why do you have to be trying out for my part?” Lance complained. “I’m obviously going to get it.”

               Keith was torn between _That’s exactly why I chose it_ and _I’m going to crush you into the dirt in what you love most_.

               He was saved from answering by Shiro- _bless his pure soul and gorgeous body-_ approaching them. “Keith! Hi!”

               “Hey.” Keith gave Shiro a small smile and an awkward wave, and the other grinned back.

               Lance coughed. “Hi, yes, I’m here, too.”

               Shiro turned to him. “Oh, hey, Lance. I didn’t see you there.”

               Lance rolled his eyes. “Of course you didn’t. Anyways, I better go get ready for the auditions. Can’t be seen hanging out with my competition.” Lance stuck his tongue out at Keith. Keith rolled his eyes before flipping him off. Lance staggered back as if he had been shot, letting his head loll* sideways and clutching his chest dramatically. Keith groaned, and Shiro snickered.

               “So, you’re trying out for the prince’s role?”

               Keith turned to look at his friend, and he was surprised to see a blush on his face. “Uh, yeah.”

               Shiro looked away. “I, uh, hope you get the role.”

               “Thanks…”

* * *

               “HAH! Take that, Kogane!” Lance shouted, throwing his script in front of Keith.

               The group of friends sat at their usual table in the cafeteria. Pidge, who was on her laptop working on a paper, rolled her eyes. “You do realize that was his intent?”

               Lance stared at her for a full ten seconds before whipping around to glare at Keith. “WHAT.”

               Keith shrugged, taking a bite out of his hamburger.

               Lance launched into a stuttering rant, protesting Keith’s actions. Hunk spoke up over him, “Hey, at least Keith is your understudy.”

               At that reminder, Keith sighed. The director, a girl named Nadia Rizavi, had liked his audition a lot, but since he was already working on the set, she had decided to keep him as an understudy.

               (And Allura, the art major in charge of the set, had threatened to rain down hellfire if they took Keith from her, as he had an important role in set production.)

               “Look on the bright side,” Pidge said, “If Lance gets injured before the play, you can laugh at him AND act alongside Shiro.”

               “HEY!”

               Keith fought the blush crawling up his neck and failed miserably. Apparently, those in charge had decided that the main two roles were to be played by men, and Shiro had been cast the part of Sleeping Beauty.

               Keith wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

               “Well,” Lance stated, “I’m not going to injure myself before opening night, so we have nothing to worry about!”

* * *

               “ _I injured myself_.”

               “ **WHAT?!** _”_

               Lance chuckled nervously on the other side of the line. “ _I, uh, bet Hunk on the way to the theater that I could jump across all of the steps in front of the library. I lost the bet._ ”

               Keith pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

               “ _Hunk is taking me to the hospital. We’re pretty sure my leg is broken. It hurts. A lot.”_

Keith felt a tinged of sympathy for his friend, but then he remembered the position Lance had put him in. It was opening night, and they had about an hour before their first showing. “I hate you. So much.”

               “ _You’ll do great! You know the lines, and you’re a natural actor. Not as good as me of course.”_

               Keith sighed. “Thanks.”

               “ _No problem, dude.”_

“I still hate you.”

               Lance sighed. “ _It didn’t hurt to try_.”

               “Don’t die on the way to hospital, and tell Hunk to calm down.”

               “ _Will do. Break a leg!”_

“Funny.” Keith hung up.

               “Is everything alright?” Allura asked as she fixed one of the roses hanging on a prop piece.

               “Lance is in idiot and broke his leg, so I’m going to have to play his part.”

               “Oh dear…” Allura gave him a sympathetic smile. “I wish you luck in informing the director.”

               Wincing, Keith gave her a nod in appreciation. He left the back-stage area to find the dressing rooms*, where all the actors were putting the last touches on their costumes and makeup.

               _Like a Band-Aid_ , he thought, before announcing, “Lance broke his leg. He’s not coming.”

               Everyone turned to stare at him. Then one girl screamed.

               Keith took a step back, frozen in shock as the whole room exploded into chaos. He jumped as he felt someone walk up behind him. “I suppose you forgot that you were still talking to actors, even if they are not drama majors,” Lotor noted.

               “Yeah…” Keith watched as a senior struggled to do damage control and reestablish order amongst the cast. “Oops.”

               “So, you will be playing the role of the prince.”

               “I guess…” Keith shifted nervously. He had the lines memorized-Lance had made sure of that-but actually performing the lines on stage with the other actors was going to be difficult.

               Lotor placed a hand on his shoulder. “I am sure you will not completely ruin everything we have all worked so hard on.”

               “Thanks,” Keith deadpanned.

               Lotor shot him a smirk before lowering his hand. “Would it help if we used a _kata_ instead of the planned choreography?”

               Lotor, who was playing a male Maleficent, happened to go to the same dojo as Keith. “Actually, yeah, it would,” Keith agreed. He was much more confident in his memorization of the _kata_ than the stiff and obviously fake looking fight scene that had been originally planned.

               Lotor nodded. “Though not completely accurate, I’m sure it will impress the audience.”

               “Keith!”

               The two looked over to see Shiro, in full costume, running towards them. Keith’s mouth went dry, and his brain short-circuited. The tunic the actor was wearing for Act I was tight fighting, showing off his muscles. The white tights accented his thighs and gorgeous butt-

               “I shall leave you two to your panicking,” Lotor commented, turning to walk away.

               Shaken out of his reverie, Keith called after him, “I look forward to kicking your butt on stage, Lotor!” He snickered as Lotor flipped him off without turning around.

               “So, uh…”

               Keith turned to face Shiro. He felt a blush rise on his face. “I guess we’ll be acting together tonight.”

               “Yeah, I guess so.” Shiro gave him a soft, shy smile. Keith’s heart did a back flip. “Do you want to go over our lines together?”

               “Sure-”

               “Not here!” The director interrupted. Rizavi pushed the two boys down the hall. “Into the dressing rooms! We need to get Kogane dressed ASAP! Go go go!!!”

* * *

               Thankfully, Lotor’s prediction proved to be right: Keith was not a complete disaster. In fact, he seemed to be doing fairly well by the audience’s reactions. He didn’t have many scenes besides his fight with Lotor and when he was supposed to “awaken” Shiro. The audience had loved the fight, cheering loudly when he had (carefully) slammed Lotor onto the floor.

               An actor playing one of the three fairies* nudged him. Reluctantly, he walked across the stage towards where Shiro lay. As he spoke his lines, Keith’s mind was in a whirl. He stopped behind the bed. Slowly, he lowered himself, hovering over Shiro for a split second before gently pressing his lips to the other’s. He felt a blush blossom all across his face, and he noticed a similar blush on Shiro’s cheeks as his eyes fluttered open. Shiro spoke his line, stuttering slightly.

Nonetheless, the rest of the play ran smoothly, and Keith was relieved when it was all over. He leaned against the wall as he listened to Rizavi praise the cast, give advice, and remind everyone the schedule for the next show. She added, “Everyone who shares a scene with Kogane be here at ten tomorrow. We’ll do a quick rehearsal. Good job, everyone! Get some rest and be ready for tomorrow’s show.”

Keith let the other actors filter out of the room before moving to grab his stuff. He needed to talk to Allura about the vines on the castle, having noticed that they were falling off during one of his scenes. However, a voice calling his name stopped him. He turned to see Shiro, now in street clothes, walking towards him. Keith raised his hand in an awkward greeting.

“N-Nice job out there,” Shiro said.

“Thanks. Uh, you too.”

“Thank you.” Shiro beamed at him, and Keith needed to find a way to get Shiro to stop smiling at him like that. It was going to kill him. Then he noticed that he had dazed off again, staring at Shiro’s mouth while the man continued to talk. Shiro said, “How does that sound?”

“Sure,” Keith agreed, hoping he wouldn’t regret it.

“Good! Uh, that’s good. Yeah…” Shiro scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, a blush stretching across his nose. Keith was confused, but the scene before him was too cute for him to care. Shiro pulled something out of his back pocket and handed it to Keith. “Here’s my number. We can text about a time tomorrow.”

Keith took the paper reverently, vaguely wondering if he should frame it. “Okay, sounds good.”

“Well, see you tomorrow, Keith! Goodnight.”

“’Night…”

* * *

               Apparently, Keith had agreed to practicing his scenes with Shiro at Shiro’s apartment, because Shiro was unable to attend the rehearsal that morning.

               He wasn’t freaking out.

               “So, uh, Matt left his project on the couch, and he threatened to hack all of my devices and change all of my passwords-which he can actually do, by the way-so we’re going to have to practice the k-kiss scene in my room.”

               ~~He was totally freaking out.~~

               Keith found himself standing beside Shiro’s bed, looking down at his crush, who’s eyes were closed.

               “This is so awkward,” Keith stated softly.

               Shiro snorted. He opened his eyes. “You do know-” He cut himself off, biting his lip.

               Keith waited for him to finish, but the silence stretched on. “Uh, I do know what?”

               Shiro shook his head, smiling softly. “Never mind.”

               “Um, okay.” Keith took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s do this.”

               Shiro chuckled but dutifully closed his eyes. Keith bent down, gently closing the distance.

* * *

               The remaining shows were both hits. For reasons unclear to Keith, the audience loved his stoic portrayal of Prince Charming. After the final show, he found himself shaking hands with an overwhelming amount of people, awkwardly accepting the compliments he wasn’t used to receiving. When his friends found him and dragged him back stage, he was eternally grateful.

               Until he realized that Lance was with them.

               “ _You…_ ” he snarled.

               Lance tried to hold his hands up in surrender, but he tilted precariously as his crutches began to slip. “Crap! Dude, I am so sorry for throwing that on you.”

Lance looked genuinely sorry, so Keith just turned away with a, “Whatever.”

“You did a good job,” Hunk spoke up. He held out a bouquet of roses. “We got these for you.”

“Thanks.” Keith offered him a tired smile.

“Yeah, man!” Lance added, “You did great! I mean, I would have definitely done way better-” Pidge elbowed Lance, cutting him off. “Ow! Anyways, you got really good at that fake kiss.”

Keith froze. “Fake kiss?”

“Yeah, you were really convincing!” Lance responded, “If I hadn’t known, I would’ve thought you had actually kissed him.”

“…Fake kiss?”

Keith’s three friends stared at him.

“Oh my gosh.” Lance’s jaw dropped, and Keith felt his heart do the same. Lance’s mouth tilted up in a Cheshire* grin. “Oh. My. Gosh.”

“Wait,” Hunk said, looking back and forth between Lance and Keith. “The kiss was real?”

Pidge simply rolled her eyes.

               “I-I didn’t-no one told me!” Keith sputtered, his whole face a bright red.

               Lance bursted into laughter, trying not to fall. “Oh my gosh, I can’t-That is the best thing _ever_.”

               “Sh-shut up!”

               “It must not have bothered Shiro,” Hunk noted. “I mean, since he never corrected you.”

               “Or he’s just too nice to say anything,” Keith muttered. He yelped when he felt Pidge kick him. “What was that for?!”

               “For being an idiot. I’ve been telling you for months that Shiro likes you back. Now go get your man, or I swear on Professor Coran’s mustache, I am going to ruin you.”

               Keith glared at her, fully aware that she had access to all his social media accounts and probably even his bank account. He marched away, leaving behind Lance’s obnoxious laughter.

               He found Shiro taking refuge in one of the dressing rooms, slumped into a chair with his eyes closed. He was surrounded by a ridiculous amount of bouquets and even a few stuffed animals. “I see the audience liked you,” Keith teased, leaning against the door frame.

               Shiro’s eyes snapped open, and his face lit up. “Keith!”

               Keith’s heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t stop himself from thinking, _Maybe I do have a chance._ “Uh, good job.”

               “You, too.” Shiro smiled softly with a tilt of his head.

               Keith returned the gesture. Then he shifted, pushing off of the door way and shuffling his feet as he struggled to find the right words. “I, uh…Lance explained to me how I wasn’t actually supposed to kiss you during that one scene. So, uh, I guess I’m sorry? For kissing you without permission.” Keith looked everywhere but Shiro, his whole body screaming at him to run away.

               “Oh…” Shiro sounded disappointed, but Keith swore he was imagining it. “You didn’t know.”

               “Yeah…” Keith looked down at his feet. “But I’m glad I didn’t,” he blurted before he could change his mind.

               “…You are?”

               Keith nodded.

               “Oh.”

               The silence stretched, and Keith couldn’t take it anymore. He was about to backtrack, to desperately apologize-

               “Me too.”

               Keith’s head snapped up to look at Shiro. He stared at him, shocked.

               Shiro was smiling. “I didn’t mind it.”

               Oh.

               _Oh._

               “Would you like to get coffee sometime?” Keith blurted.

               Shiro grinned. “I would love that.”

               “It’s a date then.”

               “Sounds good.”

               Keith shifted. “So, uh, I better go. My friends are waiting on me. Goodnight, Shiro.”

               Shiro nodded. “Goodnight, Keith.” With eyes twinkling mischievously, Shiro added, “I would ask you for a goodnight kiss, but I think it would keep me up.”

               It took a second for the joke to register. Keith groaned, but he was unable to keep a smile off of his face. “That was terrible.”

               Shiro looked completely pleased with himself. “Terribly _good_.”

               “I’m definitely leaving now. Bye.”

               “Goodnight, Prince Charming!”

               Keith tripped over his own feet, and he heard Shiro snicker behind him.


End file.
